


Running to You

by jusdefraise



Category: EXO (Band), NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, idk how to tag, they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22918570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jusdefraise/pseuds/jusdefraise
Summary: To Yukhei, falling in love with Baekhyun felt like falling in love with running all over again.orYukhei meets Baekhyun on a Thursday morning running on an empty track.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77





	Running to You

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!! its me finally posting that yukhei fic i promised in like september of last year!!!!
> 
> can u believe ive had this in my docs abandoned since october of 2019 lmao ive been super caught up w school work and just like. life. been having some health issues lately so i cant sit and write for too long but today i told myself if i didnt finish this then i would be doing a disservice to the baekhei shippers and i simply could not let that happen.
> 
> without further ado, here is my mess of a fic. pls enjoy!

The first time Yukhei ran, he fell in love.

There was no science or reason behind it. He just loved it. The feeling in his chest as he breathed heavily, the slamming of his feet on the track, the wind in his hair. It felt like if he ran hard enough, ran fast enough, he could take flight. He was positive he’d only ever get that feeling when he was on the track doing laps.

Until he met Baekhyun.

The first time Yukhei met Baekhyun, it was on the track in a park near his university. It was 5:45am on a Thursday morning, the week before classes were to begin. Yukhei’s roommate snores like a freight train so instead of seeking sleep, he decided to lace up his running shoes and run a couple laps before the rest of the world woke up.

When Yukhei got to the track, he saw a figure running laps, just slow enough not to be considered a sprint but fast enough not to be a jog. It was a sticky 85 degrees out and yet the man was wearing a thin jacket, the material sticking to the small of his back. The light from the street lamps casts a soft glow onto the track and makes his face shine slightly.

He stood and watched as the stranger finished his lap and slow to a stop in front of Yukhei. His blond hair was matted to his forehead and his breathing was heavy but even. He’s handsome too, and all of a sudden, Yukhei feels too hot even in his short sleeve shirt. 

“Good morning,” the stranger says, wiping away a drop of sweat with his thumb. “Did you want to use the track?” Yukhei slowly nodded, setting his water bottle somewhere on the grass. The stranger hums and says, “Alright. I can leave if you want? I was planning on running a few more laps, but it’s fine.”

“No!” Yukhei says loudly, startling the man and turning red in the face when he realizes what he’s done. He’s sure the man notices his tomato face, but he doesn’t point it out. “W-We can run together. I don’t want to kick you off the track. This is a public space.”

The stranger breaks into a pretty smile, one that makes Yukhei feel extra warm from his ears down to his toes, and he nods. “Sure, I’ll run with you. What’s your name, kid?”

“Yukhei,” Yukhei says, sticking a hand out. The man grabs it and gives it a firm shake. “I go to school at the university down the road.”

“I’m Baekhyun,” the stranger, Baekhyun, says. He tugs the sleeve of his left arm up and leaves the right sleeve where it is. “I go to school at a university two hours from here, but I don’t start for a few more weeks. That’s why I’m still here.”

Yukhei nods and gestures to the track, and the two of them start off in a brisk jog. There’s silence between them, the two of them focused on their breathing and the sound of their feet hitting the ground. After two laps, Baekhyun stops to drink from his water bottle and sit down in the grass for a break. He pulls his jacket off revealing a sleeveless tank top completely soaked with sweat underneath. Yukhei has to force his eyes forward to not trip on his face as he keeps running. 

As Yukhei makes his seventh lap, he’s surprised to see Baekhyun still sitting in the grass, watching him run. The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon, casting everything in an orange-red light. It’s beautiful and Baekhyun seems to think so too, leaning back on his hands to gaze up at the sky. 

Three more laps and Baekhyun is still there. Yukhei decides to call it quits after he checks the time. 7:30am. He needs breakfast, a shower and to call his mom before 10am. He walks over to where his water bottle is, takes slow, deep gulps and exhales loudly when he’s done. He glances over at Baekhyun, who’s now laying in the grass. 

“Gonna run more laps?” he asks, taking deep breaths to control his breathing. Baekhyun lets out a short laugh and shakes his head, sitting up slowly and then standing. He pushes his sweaty hair back from his head. 

“I’ve been out here since probably 4am,” he says, sending Yukhei a dazzling smile. “I think it’s time I stop.”

“Why were you running for so long?” Yukhei says and then immediately regrets it, covering his mouth and then stammering, “y-you don’t have to tell me. It’s not my business, I’m sorry-”

Baekhyun’s laugh interrupts him, Yukhei temporarily stunned at the brightness of it. He looks back at the grass and takes another swig of water. 

“I had a bad dream and couldn’t sleep,” Baekhyun says, a smile still hanging on the corners of his lips. “So I figured I’d do my morning run a little early.”

Yukhei hums and tears his eyes away from Baekhyun’s glowing face to stare out at the park. There’s a few joggers out on the sidewalk and the occasional dog walker. He looks back at Baekhyun when he asks, “What about you?”

Yukhei sighs. “My roommate snores so fucking loud that sometimes, it makes me want to die.” He grins when he hears Baekhyun burst into laughter, toppling over in the grass at the force of it. Yukhei didn’t think it was all that funny, but he starts to giggle when he sees Baekhyun’s nose scrunched up so cutely, cheeks red from laughter.

“You’re a funny one, kid,” Baekhyun says after he’s calmed down, slowly sitting back up in the grass. He looks at Yukhei for a moment before chuckling slightly. “You want breakfast? There’s a McDonald’s up the road, my treat.”

Yukhei is about to refuse, saying something about how he has a meal plan he should use up, that he probably smells like a sewer, but there’s something in Baekhyun’s gaze that has him saying, “Sure, I’d like that.”

They eat their meals sitting on a park bench, slowly exchanging facts about each other, talking about school, work, life. Yukhei is a messy eater and Baekhyun keeps teasing him, handing him napkin after napkin when Yukhei gets ketchup everywhere except his hashbrowns or when his orange juice somehow dribbles down his arm.

“Jesus, what am I gonna do with you?” Baekhyun murmurs when he spots a bit of grease from Yukhei’s breakfast sandwich on the tip of the younger’s nose. He wipes it away with his thumb and Yukhei just smiles, chewing his mouthful as if he’s the most well mannered boy in the world.

“I dunno, what are you gonna do?” Yukhei teases back in a burst of bravery. He feels his face go warm at the fond look on Baekhyun’s face. 

“Hmm,” Baekhyun hums, tapping his chin with an index finger and pretending to think for a moment. He turns to the younger and gives him a beautiful smile. “I think I’ll keep you around, kid.” 

~

**From: big head baekhyun ♡**  
_why the fuck is ur campus so big holy shit_

Yukhei’s heart nearly leaps out of his mouth and he has to stifle his gasp in his hand to not disrupt his professor. He glances to the front to ensure he’s not in her line of sight before quickly typing a reply.

**To: big head baekhyun ♡**  
_YOU’RE HERE?_

**From: big head baekhyun ♡**  
_yes now where do i meet u  
and it better be soon cuz i just got yelled at by a jesus groupie_

Yukhei bites his lip to keep from laughing and looks back at the front to hopefully retain something from today’s lecture. 

**To: big head baekhyun ♡**  
_i’m in class but i'm almost done please wait for me!!!!!_

The professor drones on for another five minutes and by the time she dismisses the class, Yukhei is already stuffing everything into his backpack and bolting out of the lecture hall. He dials Baekhyun and heads to the student center. 

“I’m lost and the Jesus groupies won’t stop yelling at people,” Baekhyun says as soon as he picks up. “You better help me or I’m never visiting you ever again.”

Yukhei laughs and says, “Just go to the student center. It’s the building next to where the Jesus people are yelling. I’m on my way there, just stand outside and wait for me.”

“Okay,” Baekhyun huffs and slowly, the background noise gets quieter on the other line. “I’m excited to see you,” he says, and Yukhei can tell by his tone that he’s smiling. 

“I’m excited, too,” Yukhei says, picking up the pace slightly. “I swear my stomach almost fell out of my ass when I saw your text. I had to stop myself from reacting because if my professor saw me, she probably would’ve killed me.”

As Yukhei nears the student center, he spots a man with a gym bag on his shoulder, a large blue hair dye stain on the strap of it. “I see you!” Yukhei says excitedly, jogging to where Baekhyun is standing. Baekhyun whips his head around quickly and when he sees Yukhei, a huge grin blooms on his face. They both hang up and pocket their phones quickly and Baekhyun jogs to meet Yukhei halfway.

They crash into a hug that nearly sends them into the pavement, but they don’t care, preferring to wrap each other in a hug to make up for the months they haven’t seen each other. Baekhyun is gripping the back of Yukhei’s t-shirt like a lifeline and Yukhei can’t help but let out a laugh when he smells Baekhyun’s fruity shampoo. 

“We’re acting like we haven’t seen each other in years,” Baekhyun says teasingly, however he makes no move to let go. Instead, he presses his face in the crook of Yukhei’s neck and giggles. 

“It feels like years,” Yukhei says. He loosens his hold enough to lean back and look at Baekhyun’s face properly. “Hello handsome,” he grins, laughing when Baekhyun rolls his eyes at the cheesiness. He strokes the back of Baekhyun’s head softly, running his fingers through the midnight strands. “I like the black. Different.”

Baekhyun shrugs and his eyes flutter closed when Yukhei brushes his thumbs across the apple of his cheeks. “I dyed it this morning on impulse. You know me.”

Yukhei hums and presses his hands into Baekhyun’s cheeks until his face is all scrunched up and his lips stick out like a fish. Baekhyun whines and Yukhei laughs, pulling away completely and grabbing Baekhyun’s hand in his. 

“I don’t have anymore classes today,” he says, swinging their conjoined hands as he leads them to the dorms. Baekhyun hikes his gym bag higher on his shoulder. “Wanna go for a run later?”

Baekhyun simply nods and walks closer to Yukhei so their arms are pressed together. “How’d you find time to drive out here anyway?” Yukhei asks. “It’s literally Wednesday. Don’t you have class? And work?”

Baekhyun shakes his head. He looks up at Yukhei and sends him a teasing smile. “I missed you too much, so I asked for the rest of the week off. As for school, I finished all my assignments ahead of time and figured missing a couple classes won’t hurt.”

Yukhei just sighs at his boyfriend’s antics and tries (and fails) to hide a smile. “As long as you know what you’re doing.” Baekhyun laughs and swats at the younger’s arm. “Hey! I’m almost done with school, you’ve still got two more years. Worry about yourself, kid.”

Yukhei’s roommate is conveniently spending more and more time at his girlfriend’s off campus apartment, so the dorm room is empty when they get there. Baekhyun tosses his gym bag on the floor by the closet and flops down face first on Yukhei’s bed. 

Yukhei sits next to Baekhyun and runs his hand up and down Baekhyun’s back, smiling softly when Baekhyun lets out a small hum of contentment. Suddenly, Baekhyun turns around and sits up, wraps his arms around Yukhei’s shoulder and pulls him down so they’re lying chest to chest, face to face on the mattress. 

“Hi there,” Baekhyun whispers. He tucks a stray strand of hair behind Yukhei’s ear. “Can I kiss you now?”

Yukhei says nothing, choosing to capture Baekhyun’s lips with his own instead of answering. Baekhyun makes a noise of surprise but quickly recovers, tightening his hold on Yukhei’s shoulders to bring him impossibly closer. Yukhei feels like he’s drowning in Baekhyun, drowning in _love_ , the feeling of it sloshing around in his insides and coating his ribs in sticky sweetness. He feels so full and _happy_.

When they separate, there’s a light dusting of pink on Yukhei’s cheeks and the bridge of his nose. They stare at each other for a moment with goofy smiles on their faces before Baekhyun kisses both of Yukhei’s cheeks with a loud smooch and pushes him away.

“Go get changed,” he says, sitting up and leaning back on his hands. “I want to take you out for a late lunch. If you’re a good boy, I’ll buy you some ice cream afterwards.” 

Yukhei just laughs, getting up and grabbing some nicer clothes. “You’re ridiculous sometimes,” he says, stumbling a little when Baekhyun hip checks him to get to his gym bag. 

“But you love me,” Baekhyun sings, taking off his worn Dragon Ball t-shirt and shrugging on a plain black one. He sends Yukhei a blinding smile and Yukhei just can’t help pulling him in for another kiss.

~

“You know what I’ve been thinking about lately?” Baekhyun says, tucking himself closer to Yukhei despite the fact that they’re both sweaty from their run. “We’ve been together for a long time.”

Yukhei adjusts the arm that’s underneath Baekhyun’s head and hums. “Like four years right? I was a freshman when we met.”

“Yeah and now you’re graduating!” Baekhyun exclaims, sitting up dramatically. “I feel like an old ass bitch!”

Yukhei rolls his eyes and pulls Baekhyun back down onto the grass. “You act like you’re twenty years older than me and not two.” 

Baekhyun rolls over so he can place his arms on Yukhei’s chest, resting his chin on his conjoined hands. He doesn’t say anything, just simply looks at Yukhei with an indecipherable face. After a moment, he smiles.

“Guess what?” he says, moving so he’s on top of Yukhei. He hovers above the younger by supporting himself on his forearms. Yukhei thinks he looks so silly, so _beautiful_ , that it nearly knocks the breath out of him.

“What?” he asks, placing his hands on Baekhyun’s waist. The sky begins to turn pink behind him, a signal that the rest of the world will wake up soon.

“I love you,” Baekhyun whispers like it’s a secret meant only for the two of them. Yukhei’s heart swoops in his chest and he lets out a loud laugh. 

“I love you, too,” he whispers back, pulling Baekhyun down for a sweet kiss. They lay there for a few more minutes before Yukhei checks the time. 7:30am. They have to eat breakfast, get back to their shared apartment and shower, and pick up Yukhei’s parents from the airport by 11am.

“Hey, there’s that McDonald’s down the road,” he says, gently moving Baekhyun so he’s back on the grass. “Wanna get breakfast? My treat.”

Baekhyun snorts and stands up, pulling Yukhei up with him. “I should be paying since you’re the one who’s graduating today,” he says, already moving in the direction of the McDonald’s. He gives Yukhei’s hand a little squeeze, “but I won’t turn down free breakfast.”

As they eat their breakfast on a park bench, Yukhei realizes something.

“We did this same thing four years ago,” he says, staying still as Baekhyun wipes the corner of his lip with the pad of his thumb. 

“I’ve been spending four years cleaning your face, we do this all the time,” Baekhyun huffs and takes another bite of his breakfast burrito.

“No, dummy,” Yukhei says, giving Baekhyun an exasperated look. “The day we met, we ran laps and then ate breakfast together on this park bench. It was a week before my first year at college. Now, on the day of my graduation, we’re doing the same thing.”

Baekhyun’s face lights up in realization and he absolutely beams. “That’s… That’s pretty crazy actually, I didn’t realize.”

“We’ve come full circle,” Yukhei laughs, taking a drink of his orange juice. Baekhyun looks at him with that same fond look from all those years ago.

“We’ve just completed a lap together,” he says, wiping a bit of grease from Yukhei’s cheek. His gaze is soft. “Now, we’re starting another one.”

As Baekhyun scolds him for being so messy and wipes his hands with a handful of napkins like he would a child, Yukhei can’t help but think that he is the person he wants to run laps with for the rest of his life.

**BONUS:**

Baekhyun watches from the dining room doorway as Yukhei takes off his glasses in frustration and buries his face in his hands. It’s only the second day of spring break and instead of relaxing, he’s worrying about a paper that isn’t due for another month.

“Baby,” Baekhyun calls, coming to stand behind his boyfriend and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “What are you so stressed about? Let’s watch a movie or something, hm?”

“I’m stressed out because I don’t know how to fucking read,” Yukhei says into his hands, sighing when Baekhyun presses a kiss onto the nape of his neck. 

“You know how to read,” Baekhyun chuckles. “You’re a literature major. You know how to read the most complicated shit ever.” 

“Yeah, well, I don’t know how to read anymore and I’m gonna drop out,” Yukhei says, dropping his hands in his lap and staring at his computer screen, exhausted. 

After a moment, Baekhyun leans over and shuts the laptop, pushing Yukhei’s chair back until he can comfortably sit in his lap. Yukhei looks up at him, the corners of his lips pulled down in a small frown. Baekhyun’s face softens and he leans in to press a kiss between the younger’s brows.

“It’s spring break, doofus,” he says lightly, running a hand through Yukhei’s hair and smiling when his frown gets bigger. “You still have time to go to tutoring labs and office hours between now and the due date. For right now, can we please spend time together before I have to haul ass back to my hell of a campus?”

At that, Yukhei’s frown disappears and he gives Baekhyun a guilty look. “I’m sorry,” he says, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s waist. “I-I’m just really… stressed out.”

“I understand,” Baekhyun laughs, pinching Yukhei’s cheeks. “So let’s forget about stress and papers and assignments right now and let’s do something together.”

Yukhei nods and pulls Baekhyun closer, his cheeks slowly turning red from being pinched for too long. Baekhyun lets go and runs his hands over Yukhei’s broad shoulders.

“How about we go for a run?” Baekhyun asks. Yukhei’s smile is enough of an answer for him.

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh i hope yall liked that! i know i couldnt mention it explicitly in the fic but baekhyun is a geology major!!! rocks are neat!!! also the bonus scene is there bc i couldnt find anywhere to put it in the story bc it was too short oops
> 
> if you liked my fic, please leave me some kudos or a comment as those always make me very happy. if you rec this in a fic thread on twitter or to your friends, please mention my twitter username or my ao3 username!!
> 
> if you wanna be friends or have any questions or a prompt you'd like me to fill, here is my [twitter](https://twitter.com/yibosbbh) and my [cc](https://curiouscat.me/fraisebbh)!
> 
> thank u so much little chickadees!!


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